POLITICS

UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali, call for urgent aid

May 29, 2023, 2:02 AM | Updated: 3:28 am

A man sells bananas at a market during a cease-fire in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Sau...

A man sells bananas at a market during a cease-fire in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Saudi Arabia and the United States say the warring parties in Sudan are adhering better to a week-long cease-fire after days of fighting. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

ROME (AP) — Two U.N. agencies warned Monday of rising food emergencies including starvation in Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods.

The four countries join Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert levels, with communities that are already facing or projected to face starvation or otherwise risk a slide “towards catastrophic conditions.”

The report by the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization calls for urgent attention to save both lives and jobs. Beyond the nine countries rating the highest level of concern, the agencies said 22 countries are identified as “hotspots’’ risking acute food insecurity.

“Business-as-usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.” said Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General.

He called for immediate action in the agricultural sector “to pull people back from the brink of hunger, help them rebuild their lives and provide long-term solution to address the root causes of food insecurities.”

The report cited a possible spillover of the conflict in Sudan, deepening economic crises in poor nations and rising fears that the El Nino climatic phenomenon forecast for mid-2023 could provoke climate extremes in vulnerable countries.

The report warns that 1 million people are expected to flee Sudan, while an additional 2.5 million inside Sudan face acute hunger in the coming months as supply routes through Port Sudan are disrupted by safety issues.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned of “catastrophic”consequences unless there is clear action to “help people adapt to a changing climate and ultimately prevent famine.”

“Not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they face is worse than ever,” McCain said.

Politics

Associated Press

Discrimination lawsuit brought by transgender athlete sent back to Minnesota trial court

A Minnesota appeals court has sent the lawsuit brought by a transgender athlete back to a trial court to determine whether she was illegally denied entry into women’s competitions because of her gender identity. JayCee Cooper, a transgender woman, sued USA Powerlifting in 2021 after the organization denied her 2018 request for participation. She alleged […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island

NEW YORK (AP) — A Chinese billionaire pleaded guilty Monday to violating federal election law by funneling illegal straw donations to a New York City official, a member of the U.S. House and a congressional candidate. Hui Qin, a Chinese film magnate with homes in Manhattan and Long Island, admitted to using his fortune to […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Lawsuit accuses NYC Mayor Eric Adams of sexually assaulting a woman in a vacant lot in 1993

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was accused in a lawsuit Monday of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993 and demanding a sexual favor in exchange for his help advancing her career in the police department. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan, offered the first public details of a sexual assault claim brought against the […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

The Latest | Israeli military raids Gaza’s main hospital, claiming Hamas is using it as a base

Israeli forces launched a raid on Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Monday, accusing Hamas militants of using it as a base, while the U.N. food agency warned that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza. The military said it killed a Hamas commander who was armed and hiding inside the medical center, and that one […]

21 hours ago

Associated Press

Famine is said to be ‘imminent’ in northern Gaza as Israel raids the main hospital again

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Famine is “imminent” in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation. The report, by the international community’s authority on determining the severity of hunger […]

21 hours ago

Associated Press

Putin extends rule in preordained Russian election after harshest crackdown since Soviet era

President Vladimir Putin extended his reign over Russia in a landslide election whose outcome was never in doubt, declaring his determination Monday to advance deeper into Ukraine and dangling new threats against the West. After the harshest crackdown on dissent since Soviet times, it was clear from the earliest returns that Putin’s nearly quarter-century rule […]

23 hours ago

UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali, call for urgent aid